


One Mask at a Time

by Flame_Of_Ice



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 13:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11738346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flame_Of_Ice/pseuds/Flame_Of_Ice
Summary: The first thing Peter thinks when he spots the tiny second-hand bookstore while swinging through New York’s back streets is: Michelle would love that.A series of revealing moments between Peter and Michelle following Homecoming





	One Mask at a Time

The first thing Peter thinks when he spots the tiny second-hand bookstore while swinging through New York’s back streets is: _Michelle would love that._

It’s becoming an unfortunate habit; thoughts about Michelle popping into his head at random times of the day, and sometimes with very little to connect the thought of her to whatever it is he’s doing.

Still, the connection here is obvious; this is very clearly a ‘Michelle-type place’. He swings onto the shop’s overhang and, upside down, peers into the shop.

He returns, in normal clothing the following night. With his usual eye to safety risks, he notes that there’s a subway station really close by, the route from the subway to the shop is well lit, and the neighbourhood appears fairly tame.  

He’s surprised to find the shop still open when he arrives. Entering, the smell of old books envelops him, and he takes in the soft lighting and higgledy-piggledy system of shelving. _MJ would definitely love this._

The owner of the store appears from the back, and greets him warmly. He wanders around for a while until the sign next to the register catches his eye: _We sell gift vouchers._

An idea takes root. Peter has just started selling Spider-Man photos to local newspapers, on commission. He doesn’t know why he didn’t think of it sooner. He received his very first paycheck just a week ago and while he wants to put some of it towards household groceries (to show May how grateful he is for her patience with him) and wants to save a little bit of it, he also has the urge to just splurge part of it on something impractical.

It doesn’t have to be something impractical for _him_. Besides, it will be for him if it manages to draw a reaction out of Michelle. A non-sarcastic, barb-free reaction, that is. Still, he doesn’t think he’s brave enough to actually give it to her, face to face. Anonymously sounds good. After all, this is Michelle. If you’re going animal spotting on safari in Africa, you don’t step out the vehicle and mosey alongside the tigers. Same thing applies.

* * *

 

Two days later and the gift voucher is in a plain white envelope, along with another piece of paper displaying a short typed quote:

_Books give not wisdom, where none was before. But where some is, there reading makes it more – Elizabeth Hardwick_

Peter slips the envelope into her locker via a small gap at the top and walks over to his own, five lockers down from hers.

Two minutes later, Ned is at his side, talking about the new Stephen King movie coming out soon. Peter is half concentrating on Ned’s words and half on the sight of Michelle, approaching her locker. Peter nods as Ned asks him a question, watching MJ open her locker and pause. Watches her face. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Peter has to reluctantly admit that MJ has an amazing poker face. He can’t tell whether she’s pleased, disturbed or completely unruffled by the gift.

Then her head rises as she starts sharply scanning the hall. So of course, Ned chooses that exact moment to loudly ask him, “Dude, are you even listening to me?”

Peter hurriedly answers Ned, but all the while he can feel Michelle’s gaze lingering on him. After a few seconds he chances a look up and she is still watching him. Peter feels like a deer in the headlights. He wills himself not to glance at the envelope in her hand. After holding her stare for another second, he looks away, closes up his locker and makes a concerted effort to concentrate on Ned’s words.

 

* * *

 

Four days later and Peter is perfecting his ‘this is exhausting’ expression in gym class. Ned, beside him, is wearing a genuine ‘this is exhausting’ expression.

Coach Wilson yells another instruction and they swap to the next exercise, standing spilt lunges.

Ned leans over in between lunges and whispers, “Are you sure that spider is dead. ‘Cause I could really do with…”

“Shh! Yes Ned, it’s dead, and we’ve discussed this. Not in school, dude!”

Peter continues lunging and after a minute, he gets the feeling that he’s being watched. It’s not the Spidey Sense danger alert which seems to be coming to him more and more as he get used to his powers. This is just a general sense of ‘someone’s watching me’.

He looks around and spots MJ behind him. Her eyes are travelling up over his legs, his ass, up his back and…she freezes as her eyes meet his. There is a moment when, for the first time in his life, Peter sees something truly vulnerable in MJ’s eyes…like surprise, or embarrassment, or…something. Then she looks away; no snarky comment, no raised eyebrow or middle finger. Peter turns back to face the front of the room.

 _Is it possible…was MJ just checking me out?_ Peter entertains the possibility for a second before dismissing it out of hand.

Still, Peter finds himself obsessing over the idea in the coming days. There’s just something about MJ. She’s raw, unfiltered, ungentle and razor sharp and yet, somehow, underneath all that, there seems to be something _more._ Something passionate enough to make her protest outside embassies, something vulnerable enough to make her look at her hands when announcing that her friends call her MJ. She’s beautiful in an unvarnished, unapologetic way and lately Peter has been working hard not to stare at her, because he still remembers her calling him out as ‘creepy’ for staring at Liz.

There’s no point thinking about this. Just because she might –and that’s a big might – have been checking him out, doesn’t mean she _likes_ him. Although the idea that MJ might consider him to be eye candy makes him kinda heady. He whoops loudly as he flings himself into the open air.

* * *

 

MJ is sitting two lunch tables over, reading a book. Peter shoots a glance at her out the corner of his eye and at that moment she looks up. Meets his gaze. Then, slowly and deliberately, she removes the Elizabeth Hardwick quote from between the book’s pages, and holds it up next to her face, raising an eyebrow.

 _Of course she knew it was him. This was MJ._ Peter looks down at his food, blushes slightly then screws up his courage and looks back up at her, giving her a slight shrug and sheepish smile.

She looks away, hesitates a moment, then stands up and moves to sit opposite him.

Ned stares at her in surprise.

“Losers,” she says in greeting, sticking her nose back in her book.

Peter wonders if explorers who reach the top of Everest feel this victorious.

Two days later, MJ moves on to another book, one from the library this time. The Hardwick quote becomes her bookmark in the new book, and then the one after that. At some point Peter notices it has been laminated.

* * *

 Peter has developed a bad habit.

He tells himself that it is just a means of refining his ability to control his super-powered senses. He still finds all the input overwhelming sometimes, when he is just Peter Parker. So this is him developing important, healthy coping mechanisms.

He has a feeling MJ and May would disagree if they knew. After all, focussing your hearing on a particular girl, and seeing how far you can trace the sound of her when she has long since left normal human hearing range….well, that _could_ be defined as creepy, he supposes.

But he always cuts it off if he realises she is entering a bathroom or something. He isn’t a complete pervert.

Today, after the school days ends, he manages to hold onto the sound of her iPod (Katy Perry, then Lady Gaga, then Fleetwood Mac and then Beyoncé) until she is a good few blocks away from the school. He’s never stretched his hearing this far before, and it’s beginning to be a strain. He should probably stop right about….

“Hey baby!” It’s on the periphery of Beyoncé’s sultry crooning, a rough male voice. “Look at you, honey. Sweet enough to eat.”

Sniggers follow, like audible shadows. Peter goes cold all over.

“Hey darlin’, wait up,” comes another voice. “We just want to talk.”

Peter’s heart thumps hard in his chest as MJ’s voice comes distantly to him. “Not interested.”

There’s no wobble in her voice, nothing to betray any fear. To someone who doesn’t know her, she would sound cool and detached. However Peter, who has listened to her speak a thousand times, hears the difference to her normal voice. It lacks its usual strength and confidence. _She’s afraid._

Peter checks his surrounding carefully, pulls the suit from his backpack, all the while focussing part of his attention on that tenuous link to Michelle. If he loses it, he loses his path to her. He may not find her in time. It cannot snap, it cannot snap…  

“Fuck off!” She sounds genuinely afraid now. “I said fuck off!”

He pushes himself to web through each turn and arc faster and harder than ever before.

“Argg! You little bitch! My eyes. Fuck! My eyes!”

“Mhmnnmhm! Mhmmph!”

“Get her in here, man. Quickly! Stop wastin’ time.”

Peter has never been so afraid. Fearing for your life is one thing. This, what these men intend…horror crawls over his skin as he slings closer. Almost there, almost…

“She won’t stop wrigglin’. Fuck! She bit me!”

Peter finally sees them. The alley, the blue van with its back doors open, the three men, and MJ, writhing in the grip of two of them.

He lets the arc of his final swing slam his feet into the first man, throwing him back against the alley wall, where he crumples in a heap. The second drops MJ and flips open a flick knife.

Peter dodges his thrusts twice, levels a back kick at the third guy who is trying to creep up behind him, knocks out the second one with a sharp punch to his temples and takes the third one to the ground with a lightning speed roundhouse.

Movement becomes stillness, as Peter stands over the unconscious men, panting harder than he ought to be after such a short, easy fight. The stillness is broken as MJ groans slightly and starts hauling herself off the ground.

Peter moves swiftly to help her. “Are you OK?,” he asks. “He dropped you pretty hard.”

MJ draws herself up to her full height and looks around at the bodies on the ground.

“Yeah, but you dropped him harder, so I’m satisfied.”

Typical MJ comment, yet her hands are shaking slightly as she brushes off her clothes.

“Thank you.” She says quietly. There’s an intensity to the way she says it. A little of the tension in Peter’s shoulders starts to loosen.

“Are you OK to get home from here?” He asks. “I could give you a lift, if you like?”

She stares at him for a moment and Peter wonders what she sees.

“I…um…no, thanks. I…I can make it home from here myself.” She looks slightly shell-shocked as she looks around again at the men on the ground. She doesn’t sound like herself at all.

Peter quietly worries. “Are you sure? It’s no problem.”

He watches as Michelle takes a deep breath. “No, really, I’ll be fine. Thanks again. Thank you.”

She walks towards the alley entrance, slowly leaning down and scooping up her bag and a book on the way.

Peter follows a little way behind her. Watches as she turns back at the end of the alley to wave at him. Walks to the end of the alley himself to watch her start up the main street.

Then he spots it, near the bins at the corner of the alley. The Hardwick bookmark.

He picks it up and runs after her.

“Wait, miss. Did you…um…did you drop this too?”

She turns and stares down at the bookmark, small and unassuming in his red gloved hand. She stares up at his face and Peter is glad for his mask, providing not just anonymity but also a hiding place for his emotions.

“Thanks.” She reaches for it slowly. “How did you know this was mine?”

Peter deflects, trying to sound confident. “It was near where you dropped your bag. I just figured…”

It wasn’t. He thinks she knows it wasn’t. She doesn’t contradict him though.

She takes the bookmark, gives him a piercing look, then turns and walks away. Peter follows her all the way home, from the rooftops.

* * *

 

Peter feels barely awake the next morning, as he spins the lock to open his locker.

He’s half-way through arranging his books and folders when he spots the envelope sitting haphazardly on the top shelf. His pulse picks up as he looks over towards MJ’s locker. She’s not there. He picks up the envelope and opens it.

Inside was a gift voucher to the local cinema, and a quote typed on a slip of paper:

_Although I know it’s unfair I reveal myself one mask at a time – Stephen Dunn_

Peter stared at the quote and the gift voucher for long minutes until the bell rang, a slow smile spreading across his face as he closed his locker and headed to class. 


End file.
